MORE than 700 Rotarians of the Rotary District 7020 are to gather at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston today for the start of one of the Rotary Club International's most prestigious annual conferences.

The four-day conference will see over 400 local Rotarians playing host to 300 of their colleagues from The Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, The Turks and Caicos Islands, St Martin and St Maarten, St Barthelemy, Anguilla, The British and US Virgin Islands as well as from the United States of America -- Georgia, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Florida.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding will address the official opening ceremony of the conference on Thursday, following two days of Rotary's Presidents-Elect Training Seminars.

At a press conference on April 19, District Governor of Rotary District 7020 Errol Alberga said that while the theme of the conference is "The Future of Rotary is in your Hands", the group had also been promoting the conference with the 'One Love' tag line, channelling the popular song of Reggae icon Robert Nesta Marley.

"With so many countries in Rotary District 7020, it is a special vote of confidence for Jamaica to be hosting this year's conference which will discuss and define the road map for Rotary going forward," said Alberga, a noted Jamaican architect.

He said that the conference planning committee, which is chaired by Rotarian Dr Paul Brown, "has been engaged for over a year defining a programme of activities that ensures the work of Rotary gets done efficiently and effectively, while Kingston gets an opportunity to shine as both a business and leisure destination".

Alberga noted that in addition to Prime Minister Golding and Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, who will attend the awards banquet on May 8, 2010, a number of other distinguished Jamaicans will address the conference. They include Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, Dr Maureen Samms Vaughn, Earl Jarrett and Ibo Cooper.

He also acknowledged the support of main sponsors LIME, the Jamaica Pegasus, the Bank of Nova Scotia, Caribbean Cement Company, Jamaica Broilers, Grace Kennedy & Company Limited and Geddes Refrigeration Limited.

Noting that the Rotary Clubs of Jamaica last year celebrated "50 years of international service which has benefitted communities across the island", Alberga said that Rotarians are motivated by these achievements and the satisfaction of seeing the benefits of their labour accrue to their fellowmen.

He said that while 2010, like 2009, is proving to be challenging across the globe "Rotarians are not afraid of challenges as we continue to keep sight of our Rotary motto 'Service Above Self'."

"With all of our partners we will ensure that Rotary District 7020 Conference is a success for all Rotarians, for capital city Kingston and for Jamaica land we love," he said.